Chuck versus Parenthood
by gingerbritishgypsyelf
Summary: Chuck flashes on an international kidnapper. Casey, Allison, and Sarah have to rescue the kidnapped heirs to European thrones, then care for the kids until they can be returned to their families. Hopefully some Charah and some Casey/OC Allison .
1. Kidnapped Kids

Chuck versus Parenthood

"Yes ma'am. Just plug that blue corn into the first socket on your left and all the lights should come on. They did? Great. Now plug in the black skinny one into the middle hole. Great, great. And the green cord into the last socket on the right, and you're good. No ma'am, thank you for calling the Nerd Herd hotline. Call back anytime for assistance. Yes, ma'am. Now have a nice day. Okay. Goodbye."

Chuck smiled at the woman in front of him, holding a laptop. "How may I help you?"

"The internet doesn't work."

"Do you have it linked by a cord, or is it wireless?"

"Wireless."

"And how does your modem work?"

"Modem?"

"Yes ma'am, the modem."

"I don't…think I have one of those."

"Then there's your problem!" Chuck told her cheerfully, "I'll get a sales rep to help you get all the supplies you need. Morgan!"

The little bearded man came over, sipping a soda. "Yeah man? What's up?"

"The customer needs all the equipment for a wireless internet setup."

"Of course. Right this way, miss." The woman followed Morgan and Chuck watched. Footsteps approached and Chuck looked over into the newest customer's face. And a thousand images flashed before his eyes--files, photos, reports, warnings. Once it stopped, Chuck blinked, then forced a smile at the man.

"How can I help you, sir?"

"I need my camera fixed. It is digital and when I take pictures they do not go to the memory card."

Chuck held out his hand. "May I see it?"

The man held out his camera and Chuck opened the back with a screwdriver.

"Oooh. Looks like your memory card is cracked. Has the camera been dropped recently?"

"It fell out of my suitcase a few days ago, but the problem was before that."

"Has it been in extreme temperatures?"

"Yes, I took it in the snow."

"There you are. This model has a bit of a weather sensitivity. If you'll just wait a moment, I'll get a sales rep to get you a new card and I'll install it. You didn't have any photos you needed on the card, did you?"

"No. I have copies of all the ones I need."

"Wonderful. If you'll just wait here, I'll be back in just a moment." Chuck speed-walked over to where Casey was finishing up the sale of a big-screen TV. He put the TV box carefully in the customer's cart and nodded approvingly as the man walked off, pleased.

"Casey. We have a situation."

"What is it, Bartowski?"

"Well, first I need a new memory card for a man's camera. Only problem? He kidnapped the heirs to the thrones of Andorra and Monaco. Andorran heir is a baby girl, two months old. Heir to the throne of Monaco is a boy, four years old. Don't know where he's keeping them, but they were kidnapped five days ago from a party for the King of Denmark's birthday. His name is Uli Broucek. He's Czech. Wanted in most European countries for kidnapping children and holding them for ransom. Never been caught."

"We'll get a tracer on his car. I'll call Walker and get the memory. Stall him for time."

Chuck nodded, then turned towards the help desk.

"Sorry for the wait, sir. John's getting your memory card right now and we'll have it installed in just a few minutes."

"Well I have things to do, so hurry up." The man was tall, with tanned skin, and dark blond hair.

"Of course, sir. Your chip is probably in the back, which is why it's taking so long and--John! Here's your chip now, sir." Chuck accepted the memory card form Casey, gently putting it into the camera. After that, he very slowly and carefully replaced the back and fixed it into place. Chuck hit the power button, then snapped a picture of himself. After checking it, he smiled shakily at the kidnapper, and handed him the camera.

"If you'll go to the counter with this receipt," Chuck said, handing the man a yellow slip of paper, "Then you can pay for that memory card and be on your way. Have a nice day!"

The man nodded and went to the register. "Casey," Chuck whispered, "How will Sarah know which car to bug?"

A car alarm went off and half a dozen patrons put down their things to look outside. Morgan checked the window.

"The owner of the silver minivan with tinted windows? Your car alarm is going off."

Casey scowled, "Informed guess."

The kidnapper paid quickly and hurried to the doors, pointing a key fob at the van, which shut off. A moment later, Sarah wove her way between cars and walked into the Buy More.

"Hi Chuck. I was just coming to see you. Want to take a little break?"

"Sure."

The pair walked off towards the Orange Orange, and a few minutes later, Casey headed that way too. As they were preparing to call the general, Chuck looked around.

"Did anyone call Allison?"

Both Casey and Sarah looked a little embarrassed and Casey dialed his phone.

"Walters? We have a situation." He then promptly hung up.

"With deep conversations like that, it's no wonder you're so popular with the ladies." Chuck remarked.

Casey growled a little, but didn't respond. A moment later, Allison arrived and Sarah filled her in.

"You _forgot_ me."

"Not exactly forgot, Allison--" Chuck began.

"Shut up, Chuck." Allison looked relatively annoyed, but didn't comment further, except to say, "Call up the general."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

"Now that you've got a tracking chip on the car, track him and get those children back. Mr. Broucek is a very dangerous man."

"We don't need the Intersect, do we?" Casey asked.

"It's a simple retrieval. Chuck can go back to work. The three of you, bring those children to the castle and we'll talk. As soon as you call and say you've got them, I'll be in contact with the appropriate authorities to have them returned." The general signed off.

"I can't _believe_ you forgot me. I've been here, what, a month and a half and you _still_ can't remember I'm here? Unless you purposefully forgot, in which case, we'll have a serious problem."

"It was a mistake. We'll try to remember you next time. Now can we please get back to the important things, like retrieving the heirs to the Andorran and Monacan thrones?" Casey growled. Allison shot him an annoyed glance, but said nothing as Sarah pulled up the map of her tracking device onscreen.

"We've got him about five miles south of here. Private residence. 3255 Mill Pond Road."

Chuck left to return to his regular, non-lethal job at the Buy More, and the three government agents suited up, pulling on bullet-proof vests and other gear. Allison pulled a gun off of the rack.

"Wait, that's not government issue." Sarah remarked, noticing the gun.

"No, it's a type 54 pistol from the Chinese army."

"Isn't it illegal to ship those into the country…or bring them in on a plane?"

"You can either think I was allowed to bring it in because I'm a government agent with permission, or you could believe I bought it on the black market. If you assume the first, I won't get in trouble. The second, not so much."

Sarah looked a little exasperated, "You _didn't_ buy it on the black market, did you?"

"That's the spirit!" Allison told her. "Just keep thinking that and I won't have a mark on my record."

Sarah opened her mouth to reply, but decided against it. Casey, Sarah, and Allison all climbed into Casey's government-issue SUV and headed off. They had a job to do.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

**I'm not sure if it is actually illegal to import Chinese firearms, but I don't recommend you try it. Hope you enjoyed chapter one. Read and review please!**


	2. Daycare

Daycare

"Turn right here." Sarah ordered.

Casey obliged silently, turning the SUV onto Mill Pond Road. He then proceeded to loop around the block, and parked on the road running parallel to Mill Pond.

"Sarah and I will take the front, you take the back," Allison suggested. Casey grunted, which Allison assumed to be an affirmative. Sarah nodded curtly and checked her weapons. The three got out of the car. Casey cut through the neighbor's yard to get to the back door and Allison and Sarah walked around to the front.

Once at the front door, the two women looked at each other, nodded once, then plastered cheery smiles on their faces. Sarah rang the bell and a man built like a rock peered through the window on one side of the door. Allison gave him a little wave and he opened the door.

"Can I help you?" He rumbled in heavily-accented English.

"Yes," Sarah smiled brightly, "We're here on behalf of the Los Angeles Center for Child Development. Can we ask you a few questions?"

The man looked over his shoulder, then up and down the street. "Go ahead."

"Lily, turn on the mike," Sarah said. Allison reached for a box on her hip and flicked something on the side.

"Ready."

"Now, sir, how important is child development to you, the average American?"

"Important."

"Great! Now, would you be willing to support any institution that works towards the goal of making a better future for children?"

"Yes."

"And how do you feel about kidnapping children?" Sarah asked pleasantly. The man had two seconds to look suspicious, but Allison had tasered him before he could catch on.

"As fun as guns are, this way will make him easier to interrogate later on." Allison explained as she dragged the man through the door and handcuffed him to the stair rail.

Sarah raised her eyebrows at the handcuffs.

"Don't worry, I have another four sets." Allison nodded, pleased with her preparedness, and strode into the house, drawing her gun. Casey met them in the living room, which was empty.

"Already checked the ground floor. They're on the upper level." Casey said as he checked the extra gun on his hip and headed up the stairs silently, Allison and Sarah following closely behind. They split up, each of them taking a room. Bathroom and three bedrooms were empty, which left one door. Sarah slowly tired the door, which was open. The man was taking pictures of the children. The four-year-old's eyes widened as he saw the three agents, but Allison shook her head and put a finger to her lips. He fidgeted as the man took a picture.

"Just stand still, damn it!" the man shouted, as he deleted the photo from his camera. "Hold the newspaper and stay still! If you want to eat tonight, then you had better not mess this one up!" Sarah put her gun to his head.

"If you want to see tomorrow, you'd better not mess this up." she told him. Oddly enough, he smirked as Allison went around and picked up the baby's carrier, where the infant lay asleep, and took the four-year-old by the hand.

"It's all right now, we're the good guys." she told him. The little boy smiled at her.

"You might be the good guys, but do you have shock bracelets on the children?" the man asked.

"Shock bracelets?" Allison put down the carrier and checked the children's ankles. There were metal rings locked on, looking heavy and uncomfortable on the young ones' legs.

"If you take them off the premises, they will be shocked with a very high voltage. It will certainly kill the baby, though the boy might live."

"You have the remote?" Casey asked, placing his gun on the man's stomach.

"You will never find it."

"No…" Allison said slowly, "But we can remove them."

"Not unless you want them to be shocked; you need the pass code for that."

"Casey, toss me your phone." Allison ordered.

"Walters, now is not the time for phone calls."

"No, but I bet our asset can help us."

"He's about as useful as a--"

"Just give me the phone, Casey!" Allison's raised voice didn't effect Casey's expression, but he tossed her the phone. Allison scrolled down the contacts, and selected Chuck's number.

"Hello? Brilliant deduction, Sherlock. It's Allison."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Chuck was actually enjoying work. He had a large pile of laptops that needed various adjustments, and Morgan was hiding from Big Mike and was currently keeping Chuck busy with pointless debates, such as which movie star they would take on a desert island, how long someone could survive after they ate a live snake, and whether or not someone would come out with decent 3-D video game graphics within the next year. As they moved back to the age-old sandwich/desert island debate, Chuck's phone rang and at the same moment, Big Mike came in and spotted Morgan.

"I've been looking everywhere for you, Grimes! I need you in the pit, now."

"Big Mike, I'm--" Morgan began

"Now!" Mike shouted, and Morgan scurried out of the back room to the dreaded pit of despair, where kids came with video games for help.

Chuck picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Came a female voice.

"You're not Casey, are you?" Chuck asked, confused.

"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock. It's Allison."

"Why are you using Casey's phone?"

"It doesn't matter, we have a situation. Two shock bracelets on one baby, one four year old. They need a code to unlock and if they leave the property or we try to open them, they're zapped. Suggestions?"

"What model are they?"

"How should I know? Hang on, I'm sending you a picture." A moment later, the picture came up on Chuck's phone and he flashed, a combination of specs and warnings flashing at him in his head, like an information upload.

After a long pause, Chuck said. "I don't know the code, they're built specifically without an override switch. It's really advanced technology too. Normal shock collars or bracelets have two electric prongs, both touching to your skin to connect the circuit. This only has one prong and the inside of the bracelet is impossible to cut except on the part right next to the prong, which is metal; cutting it completes the circuit because the cutters are metal. Crossing the border around the house sets off a code into the chip in the bracelet, which also shocks you, but how is too complicated to explain. There's no way to get out or get it off unless…" Chuck paused as a possibly brilliant idea came into his mind. "Hang on, I have a really stupid idea that just might work."

"Hurry it up. We haven't got all day."

"You're going to turn into Casey if you're not careful." Chuck muttered.

"Say that when I'm in shooting distance of you."

"I'll shut up now."

"Yeah. Hurry it up with the idea."

Chuck muted the phone as he made it to the pit. "Morgan, I need you for a little experiment." He dragged his best friend to the cage and plugged in a computer, pulling open the back on the monitor.

"Touch that," he said, indicating a piece.

"Dude, I'll get zapped. What is this, some sick joke?"

"Just do it."

Morgan gave Chuck a wary glance, but reached forward. As he was almost touching the piece, Chuck jabbed him in the sides, and Morgan jumped, his hand hitting the metal.

"Ah!" He shouted. "Dude, what did you do that for?"

"Did you get zapped?"

"Dude, are you trying to kill me?"

"Morgan! Did you get zapped?"

"Well…no." Morgan paused. "Dude, that was awesome! We've got to try this on--"

"Grimes!" Big Mike shouted, "Pit! Now, before I fire you!"

"Sorry Big Mike! Gotta go, buddy." Morgan patted Chuck's arm and rushed off.

"Allison?" Chuck unmuted the phone, "Here's what you have to do."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Five minutes later, Sarah held a large pair of metal cutters and Allison held the baby, holding the leg with the bracelet attached to it as straight as she could.

"Ready? One, two, three, jump!" The pair jumped at the same time and Sarah snapped the bracelet off before they could hit the ground. It sparked, then fizzled out as it hit the floor. Allison inspected the baby's ankle.

"Perfect. One more time."

They performed the feat again with the four-year old, then Allison picked Casey's phone back up.

"It worked. Great job."

"Basic circuit completion requires--"

"I didn't need the geek speak, just the answer. See you in a bit." Allison hung up and tossed the phone back to Casey, who caught it one-handed, over the Czech man's head.

"All right, now that we're ready to go, what do we do with this--" Casey began, but Allison shushed him, motioning to the wide-eyed four-year-old.

"I've got handcuffs on me. Here, Sarah." She handed the cuffs to the blond CIA agent, whom gladly tightened them around the Czech's wrists.

"Move." Casey grunted, and the Czech began to walk. Sarah started to follow, but Allison called after her.

"Hey! Little help?" She fixed the baby in the little car seat/carrier and lifted it with one hand.

"Sarah, get…" she looked down at the boy, "What's your name?"

"Konate," the little boy answered, in fairly clear English. Allison started.

"You speak English?"

"I say English and French words." the little boy answered, and he rattled of something in French, which wasn't Allison's strongest point. Most of the phrases she knew involved 'drop your weapons', 'I'm armed', and 'yes, tell him I accept'. She knew the basics for pleasant undercover conversations, but French wasn't her language of choice. So instead she turned to Sarah, whom was already answering him.

Allison raised an eyebrow and Sarah smiled. "Oh, he says he's hungry."

They walked down the stairs, but as they reached the door, there was a shout and both agents drew their weapons, putting the children behind them. The man that Allison had handcuffed to the staircase had apparently broken the thick wooden bar he had been fixed to. He now had a gun drawn on Casey, whom had a gun on Broucek.

"I got the kids." Allison muttered, and she moved Konate and the baby behind a wall. She sat the four-year old down next to the baby carrier.

"Listen, Konate. Whatever you hear out there, stay here unless I say so. Don't be scared, we're going to take care of the bad guys who took you. Do you understand? Stay here."

The little boy nodded and Allison drew her type 54 Chinese army pistol, patting her belt to make sure that her other gun was in place. She checked around the door, then went out onto the lawn, where Sarah was approaching the guard-man from behind. Allison slowly followed suit, but Broucek managed to turn away from the car and shouted something to his man.

"And I was hoping this wasn't going to get ugly." Allison muttered.

"Too late for that." Sarah scanned the scene, evaluating the big man as he looked over the situation, reconsidering his plans now that there were three agents instead of one.

"I will put down my weapon now." he finally announced, slowly bending over. But as Sarah approached slowly to pick up the gun, he unbent in a fluid, fast, motion, and fired at Sarah, whom buckled. The vest took most of the damage, but as Sarah was getting her ability to breathe back, Allison had her gun trained on his head.

"One wrong move and this bullet is in your head!"

The man shot and Allison saw it coming, dodging it. Sarah had gotten up by this point and she kicked the gun from his hand, then wrestled him to the ground.

"Cuffs?" Sarah held a hand in the air and Allison tossed them to her, then retrieved Konate and the baby from behind the wall as Casey wrestled Broucek into the trunk of his SUV, and Sarah did the same with his lackey.

Allison strapped the baby's car seat into the SUV, "Are you going to sedate them or something?"

"What are you, mother of the year? The kids are fine." Casey growled.

"We'll sedate them anyway," Sarah said, fixing the cuffs to bars on the inside of the trunk. Allison nodded, a little relieved, and buckled Konate into the middle as she had no car seat. Sarah injected something into each of the two men, and their struggling slowed. Allison buckled herself in next to the boy, and Sarah climbed into the front seat next to Casey.

"Are we calling the general?" Allison asked, but Casey was already on his phone, informing the general, of their situation.

"Yes, general. Right away." His voice was low and gravelly, nearly void of emotion. Allison had gotten used to it by this point, but as she sat next to Konate and the baby, whom had now fallen asleep, she wondered if there was anything more to Casey than this--the emotionless, goal-oriented, agent who worked tirelessly for his country. She was unaware that the mission that two kidnapped children had presented would give her a chance to find out.

"So, we're daycare until the kids get picked up?" Allison asked Casey with a grin.

"We'll be debriefed when we get back to the castle."

"I'm hungry." Konate announced.

"There's a McDonalds down the road a little." Sarah informed Casey, checking the GPS.

"Happy Meal?" the little boy asked hopefully.

Sarah smiled, "I could use a bite."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

**Okay, this chapter is done. I'm not sure of my whole shock-bracelet thingy would work, but as always, do not attempt at home, or at all. Chuck got a chance to show his smarts, yay! I'll try to make it more ingenious next time. Next chapter should start the Charah and Casey/Allison (Callison? Allisey? Cason?), but no promises. I'm working with school as well. Well, hope you liked it. Reviews please!!!**


	3. Fostering Royalty

CVP: Fostering Royalty

Twenty minutes later, Casey's SUV was filled with the smell of fast food. Konate was happily dunking his chicken nuggets in ketchup, though Casey had threatened him with certain death if he spilled anything. Allison munched on a burger that she had somehow managed to get jalapenos on, Sarah was contentedly eating fries, her burger still wrapped in paper. Casey drove; his lunch would wait in the bag until they returned to the castle.

As they hit a bump, Allison steadied Konate's little container of nuggets and fries, while taking a bite of burger. Sarah kept the little boy's drink from spilling. After making sure nothing was on the upholstery or floor, the two spies let go with a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, the baby had woken up and she began to wail. Allison reached over Konate's head to give the baby a finger to chew on, but she kept up the cry.

"She's probably hungry." Sarah put in.

"We can take care of that when we get to the castle." Casey grunted.

"Large Mart sells baby formula?" Allison asked.

"Why not? Sells everything else." Sarah steadied Konate's drink again as they hit another bump, and the baby's wails grew more insistent. Konate stopped eating and put his hands over his ears.

"Can't you make her stop?"

"She's just a baby. She doesn't know any better." Allison told him, "Now finish your fries."

Konate threw a long-suffering look at Allison, but did as she said, staring grouchily at the crying baby the whole time.

By the time they arrived at the Orange Orange, the baby had developed a piercing cry that made Konate keep his hands firmly over his ears and slowly but surely darkened Casey's expression until he looked ready to go strangle the first person who blinked at him. Allison volunteered to go pick up the things they would need and rushed from the car as soon as it was parked.

____________

"Excuse me, ma'am, may I help you?" the freckle-faced employee smiled at Allison. The girl was taller than her, but looked to still be in high school.

"Could you tell me the sorts of things I would need if I was looking after a two-month-old baby…with no prior supplies?"

"For how long?" the girl inquired, adjusting her name tag.

"Umm…a week?"

"Follow me then. You'll need formula, diapers, wipes, baby soap, bottles…"

________________

Back at the castle, Casey and Sarah stared down at the shrieking baby, whom was red in the face, as they all sat in the castle. They had blindfolded Konate when they got out of the car. Not even a child could know where their secret base was. Konate didn't protest. Instead, he babbled in French to Sarah about how much this was like his favorite book, _Le Espion_. When they arrived in the castle, Konate was still chattering about the book, the baby was still screaming, and both spies were wondering how long Allison would take to get the formula.

___________________

Allison dashed into the Buy More carrying about seven Large Mart bags. She spied Jeff and Lester in the corner and flagged them down.

"Hey! You guys have a microwave in the break room, right?"

"Um…yeah," Lester looked startled at the fact that Allison had actually acknowledged his presence. She generally ignored him and Jeff.

"Hey, I know you're sort of Casey's girl and all but--" Lester began, but Allison was already in the break room, heating up water in the plastic baby bottle. She scooped powdered formula in, then shook it. After testing the temperature on her wrist--it was a tad too warm, but doubtless the baby wouldn't care--Allison dashed back out, Large Mart bags over her arms and a bottle clutched in one hand.

She made her way to the castle and ran down the stairs, the bottle held aloft. The baby carrier was sitting on the table with the still-crying baby in it. Konate sat grumpily, his hands over his ears, and Sarah looked sort of helpless with the whole situation. Allison set down the bags and put the bottle on the table as she carefully took the baby out of the car seat. Sitting in a chair, she cradled the child in one arm and stuck the nipple of the bottle in the baby's open, screaming, mouth. The little girl stopped crying and started sucking contentedly on the bottle.

"Where's Casey?" Allison asked, looking up at Sarah.

"Shooting."

"Ah. Not the paternal type, huh?"

"Not exactly." Sarah forced a smile as Konate started pulling things out of the Large Mart bags. A moment later, her smile turned to a look of incredulity. "What's all this stuff?"

"Baby stuff. You know, bottles, blankets, formula, diapers and wipes, little baby clothes."

"You went on a ten minute shopping spree for the baby?"

Allison shrugged and grinned, "Company credit card. I didn't pick up anything for Konate, but he probably needs a bunch of things, like clothes and stuff. Maybe a couple of Muppet DVDs. You like the Muppets, Konate?"

"What's a Muppet?" Konate inquired.

"Sounds like you'll love 'em." Allison replied decisively. Sarah raised an eyebrow at her and the Omnicron agent smiled winningly. "Considering how rarely I use the credit card, I'm telling myself that this evens out the bill between my bosses and I. Besides, they deserve it after what happened on my last mission. Once we're debriefed, you can take him to Large Mart and get him some clean clothes. He could probably use a bath too; they both could."

"You're awfully…used to this." Sarah remarked, knowing better then to ask about previous missions.

"I babysat a lot in high school." Allison said coolly, turning her attention back to the baby. "It's like riding a bike. Never forget how to do it."

Sarah nodded slowly and picked up her phone. "I'll call Chuck. He should be here for the debriefing."

"Well do me a favor and grab a burp rag from the bag?" Allison gestured towards the layered cloths stacked neatly inside he plastic. Sarah tossed her one, then dialed Chuck's number. As the phone rang on the other end, Allison proceeded to lift the baby so her head was on the spy's shoulder, and began patting her gently on the back. Konate continued sorting through the bags. After a pause, Sarah said,

"Chuck? We need you in the castle."

________________________

"Good, I see you've recovered the two children." the General said, in her usual lack of enthusiasm.

"Are you their grandma?" Konate asked her. The General's face hardened and Sarah put a hand on Konate's shoulder as Chuck stifled a grin.

"Don't be rude." Sarah muttered in French.

"Anyhow, we've contacted their parents and governments. We have two different arrangements. The boy will remain with Chuck and Agent Walker for three days, and the baby will be moved to a private airfield in northern Washington to be flown out. Apparently, the kidnapper was not working alone and he has men still on the lookout for the children. Agent Casey, you will be transporting the baby. We'll send you the files that you'll need for this mission."

Casey nodded curtly, "Yes, General."

"Agent Walters, you will be accompanying Agent Casey on this mission."

Casey's face darkened and he nearly growled something in reply, but his training kept his mouth firmly shut.

"Good. Figure out your covers and keep these children safe. A successful mission could mean new allies for the United States."

"Yes, General." Sarah replied, and the screen promptly blinked off. Casey glared at Allison as the baby she was holding spit up onto the cloth on her shoulder.

_____________________

Two hours later, three spies, one human-Intersect, and two foreign children all sat in Casey's apartment. Sarah and Allison had stopped by Large Mart and Konate was now happily watching the Muppets in French on a very small DVD player that sat on his lap, headphones set over his small ears. The baby was in a sling* on Allison, asleep. The spies reviewed the files as Chuck watched the Muppets over Konate's shoulder.

"Why do we need to take three days to drive into northern Washington state? We could do it easily in a chopper, or a plane." Casey growled.

"Because apparently this Broucek fellow isn't any kidnapper. He has a network set up in transportation, hotels, and lots of other places all over the world. Kidnapping is a big business that makes a lot of money."

Chuck looked up from the movie. "How do you know that?"

"People will may big money to get their kids back," Allison said, a hint of bitterness in her voice, "And I know the rest because I have alternative information sources. The General doesn't want us attracting any attention, and she's right."

"So…what? You, Casey, and Saira will be in a car together for three days?"

"If Saira is the baby's name as I presume it is, then yes. That's the idea. We're taking back roads and staying away from highway traffic cameras. My contacts suspect that the web is much wider than the CIA believes. And I've never known them to be wrong about this sort of thing."

"So are you going to do anything about it?" Chuck asked, plopping down on the couch next to Konate. "I mean, taking care of bad guys is sort of your job."

"I'll call it in to out people and we'll send in some teams to take care of the problem. However, it will take a few days to find and locate key individuals, interrogate them, and then get rid of the others who are a threat to security. Thus the back road, little motel, road-trip thing that we're doing. It should be fun, in a strange, pseudo-childhood-vacation kind of way."

"Fun like a bullet in the leg." Casey muttered. Allison grinned cheekily.

"I could shoot you in the leg if you think it'd make the trip more fun. But you always struck me as more of a handcuffs sort of guy."

Casey shot her a death glare as his hand rested on the gun at his belt. Allison patted her own gun, keeping one eye on the baby still sleeping in the sling.

"Don't look at me like that, you'll scare the baby. Besides, I could take you."

Casey growled and walked away, disappearing into the back rooms of his house.

Allison shrugged, "I'm sure he'll warm up to the idea."

"That's about as likely as Morgan suddenly becoming tall and charming." Chuck snorted. Allison threw him a death glare of her own, then settled next to Sarah to discuss their plans. This trip would doubtless be an interesting one.

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**All right!!! We're almost to the ACTUAL TRIP! That'll be next chapter, folks! Sorry this one took so long. I'm mega-busy. Busier than __(insert really busy person's name here)__!!!! So review please!!!!!**


	4. Road Trip

**Sorry this took so long, everyone! I had a smidge of writer's block and exams are fast-approaching. Hope you enjoy this!**

Road Trip

The morning came early and with a wave of heat that blasted Los Angeles into the realization that it was truly summer. The mild weather over the past month or so was now gone, bowing to the wills of the normal L.A. climate. Allison woke up and stretched, hitting the snooze button on her alarm clock. Yawning, Allison ran her fingers through her black hair, rumpling the loose curls and waves that stuck out a little on one side. She glanced over at the baby nestled between walls of pillows and smiled a little. She had been woken up by cries several times during the night and despite the fatigue she felt, Allison didn't mind too much. It reminded her of an earlier time in her life, one where she had carried neither a gun nor a knife, and she had gone by her own name, instead of one the government provided her with. It was a long time ago.

Shaking memories away with a toss of her head, Allison sat up and got out of bed. She needed a shower desperately, but knew better than to leave the baby on the bed. Yanking out Saira's car seat, Allison gently put the baby into the seat, buckling her in safely. Saira only fussed once, and Allison rocked her a little. The baby hushed and Allison put the carrier on the floor as she turned on the cool water. It was looking like a nice day for a drive. She was just glad that Casey's car had air conditioning.

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Casey woke up at the break of dawn, already prepared for the day. His suitcase was packed and in the government-issue vehicle. However, it was not his standard black four-door SUV. The replacement vehicle was a silvery-blue minivan with tinted windows, but Casey dealt with it because it had better armor than his SUV. Showering, pulling on his cover clothes (a light green polo, jeans, and sneakers), and eating breakfast, Casey thought of the mission ahead. On the plus side, he got to be around Allison (and away from Chuck) for four days. On the negative side, he didn't know where or when they were stopping to avoid being caught, he had to be around a baby for three days straight, and he's have to deal with Allison's flirtations in the confined space of a minivan. After furiously scrubbing his teeth, checking his weapons, and setting the multiple alarm codes on his apartment, Casey strode out the front door. The heat washed over him like a wave and Casey almost smiled. At least the weather was predictable.

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Sarah had volunteered to take Konate for the night, and she was now immensely regretting it. Though the four-year-old had been great all evening and had gone to bed without a fuss, this morning he was a nightmare. She awoke at six AM with him jumping on her bed to wake her up. While she was showering, she had left cartoons on the TV for him, which he had ignored and instead accidentally knocked her fishbowl onto the floor. She had only just saved the fish and had spent fifteen minutes cleaning up the water. Shorty after that, he had sat in the middle of the floor and started screaming at the top of his lungs for no apparent reason. Flustered and frustrated, Sarah dialed Allison's number.

"Hello?" came Allison's voice over the cries of a hungry baby.

"Allison?"

"No, it's Casey. I've suddenly become friendly." Allison drawled sarcastically. The baby in the background stopped crying.

"Konate is sitting on my floor screaming and crying."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing."

"Has he eaten breakfast yet?

"No."

"Have you offered him breakfast yet?

"No."

"Well try that." Allison said impatiently.

"Konate? Would you like some breakfast?"

"I want my Mommy!" The boy wailed.

"He wants his—"

"Yeah, I heard. Is he dressed yet?"

"No."

"Let me talk to him."

"Let you—"

"Just hand him the phone."

Sarah walked over to the still-screaming Konate. "It's for you."

The boy sniffed a little, but stopped screaming. "Hello?"

"Hi Konate,"

"Who is it?" the little boy inquired, curious.

"It's Allison. We talked yesterday, remember?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well I know you want your Mommy, but today you get to go on an adventure, would you like that?"

"Want my Mommy." Konate's eyes began to fill up and his lower lip trembled.

"I know, but wouldn't you like to tell her all the fun things you did? I bet she'd like that. Your Mommy likes to hear stories, right?"

"Nana likes stories." The little boy corrected.

"Well wouldn't you like to have a story of your very own to tell Nana?"

"Nana likes stories." Konate said again.

"Well how about you and Sarah and Chuck have an extra-good today and tomorrow, then you can go home and tell Nana all about it."

"I want morning food." Konate informed her.

"Well I'm sure Sarah would give you some. Can you give the phone back to her?"

"Okay. Bye-bye."

"Bye."

Sarah was handed the phone by a very grave four-year-old. "Is for you." He said.

"I don't know what you said, but thanks."

"Just have Chuck over there. Watch videos, take him to McDonald's Playplace, go to the park. Switch off turns if you have to. Just keep him happy. And he might get cranky after lunch or around ten. He probably needs a nap. Most kids'll fall asleep if you just put in a Disney movie."

"Allison, I don't know how you—"

"Gotta go. Baby to burp." Allison hung up and Sarah got through the rest of the morning with relative ease.

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Allison met Casey in front of her apartment with three suitcases, the baby, and a diaper bag. Casey pulled up and grumbled a 'hello' to her as he loaded the suitcases into the back of the van. Allison put Saira's car seat into the car, first fixing in the base, then snapping the actual seat into place. There were a few brightly colored toys and a mirror hanging within the baby's reach. She gurgled, stretching out her little hands towards the objects. Allison walked around to the back of the van as Casey shut the trunk.

"Good?"

Casey grunted, and then looked over at her. It was a quick glance, but then he looked back, looking her up and down. She was wearing shorts, a tank top shirt, and was carrying a cloth bag over one shoulder.

"You armed?" He asked.

Allison looked fairly insulted, "No, I decided I'd just show off my legs and completely ignore our mission. Of course I brought a gun!"

Casey nodded curtly and walked around the car. He had been expecting the usual dark jeans, blouse, sunglasses ensemble and she showed up in this? Growling a little, Casey settled in the driver's seat. Allison sat in the passenger side and buckled her seat belt, sliding sunglasses down over her eyes.

_At least I have some consistency._ Casey thought privately. But as he pulled out of the parking lot of Allison's apartment complex, she leaned her seat back and propped her legs up on the dashboard, closing her eyes.

"I've been up all night with the baby, so if you need me, wake me up." She shifted her body this way, then that way, getting comfortable, and then relaxed into the seat. With a yawn, Allison went silent.

Casey glanced over at Allison's legs and growled to himself. This was the exactly what he had been worried about; the sorts of distractions that she would pose to his concentration. Allison was asleep by the time they were on the highway and Casey growled and turned on the radio, just loud enough for him to hear. Below the noise of the rock music, Casey muttered to himself,

"Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em."

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Chuck awoke to the sound of his phone ringing. Groping around on his bedside table, Chuck yawned, eventually locating the phone. He picked it up, mumbling "Hello?" into it.

"Chuck? It's Sarah."

"Yeah? What is it?"

"I've got the afternoon shift at the Orange Orange today, so could you watch Konate after lunch?"

"Um…sure. What do I do with him?"

"Find a park somewhere. I'll come see you at work later, okay?"

Chuck nodded, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "Uh-huh. Okay."

"All right, I gotta go. Konate wants some juice and I don't remember where I put those sippy cups that Allison had me buy."

"Okay. Bye." Chuck hung up, rolled out of bed, and got dressed, pulling on his BuyMore uniform. Tightening his tie in front of the mirror, Chuck grinned at his reflection, and then sat to pull on his black converse sneakers. Finishing, he walked into the kitchen, grabbed a banana, then went out into the courtyard. It was then that he realized that Casey couldn't give him a ride; he was with Allison somewhere on the highway. Chuck walked back into the house.

"Hey Sis, Casey's on a trip, so could I get a ride to the BuyMore?"

"Sure Chuck, no problem. How are you going to get home?"

"Sarah can drive me. And she's looking after a friend's little boy, so I'll watch him this afternoon while she's at work."

"How about you and Sarah bring him to dinner here? I love kids, Chuck." Ellie eyed him with wry amusement.

"Um, I'll check with Sarah, but that sounds good."

"Great! I'll make chicken nuggets for him and I think I have a roast in the freezer for the adults."

"Ellie, it's really no big deal."

"No, it's fine. I want to cook for you."

"Okay. But I gotta go, so, about that ride?"

"Devon can drive you. I'll catch up."

"Okay. See you later, Sis." Giving Ellie a peck on the cheek, Chuck walked out the door after Captain Awesome. "Hey Devon, can I get a lift?"

"Sure, dude."

Chuck hopped into Devon's car and they drove to the Buy More. Awesome winked at him as he got out.

"Have an awesome day, bro."

"You too, Awesome."

Walking into the BuyMore, Chuck settled himself at the help desk and picked up the ringing phone.

"BuyMore Nerd Herd desk, how may I help you?"

"Yes, I was wondering what it means if the little computer on my screen is wearing a seatbelt."

"Um, could you describe your problem?" Chuck asked confused.

As the eighty-year-old woman began carping about "new-fangled machines", Chuck hoped that the rest of the day would be much less difficult.

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Casey had been driving about two hours when the baby started crying. It started out as a few fussy noises, then progressed to a wail. Casey reached over one arm to wake up Allison, but she was already leaning her seat forward and pulling her feet down from the dashboard. Unbuckling her seatbelt, Allison climbed into the back of the van.

"Hey! We have laws, Walters!"

"So shoot me," Allison replied, sounding a little grumpy. "If you wanted to enforce traffic laws, than you'd be a cop."

Casey growled something and Allison rolled her eyes and slid into the seat next to the baby, buckling on a seatbelt.

"Happy?" she demanded. Casey didn't reply and Allison peered into the baby carrier, where Saira was wailing.

"We need to stop. Baby needs a diaper change, and she's probably getting hungry."

"We've only been driving two hours, Walters."

"And now you know why we're taking three days to get to Washington."

"There's an exit in three miles." Casey relented. "We'll stop there."

Allison nodded and gently patted the baby's tummy, muttering soothing words in Japanese.

Casey glanced at her through the rearview mirror. "That Korean?"

"Japanese."

Casey nodded once, "Where'd you learn Japanese?"

Allison raised an eyebrow at him. "If I told you, I'd have to kill you."

Casey snorted, "Yeah. Right."

"I could kill you if I had to, Casey." Allison replied and Casey snorted.

"I could break into your apartment and put poison in your coffee or strangle you while you slept."

Casey looked at her through the mirror again, and Allison shrugged, one-shouldered.

"I'm just saying I'm capable of it. Not saying I will."

Casey didn't reply, but only drove silently to the rest stop. When they got out, Allison took the baby out of the car and slung the diaper bag over one shoulder. Turning to Casey, she dug a dollar bill out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"Would you grab me a Pepsi while I change the baby?"

Casey nodded and Allison stretched up and gave him a peck on the cheek, whispering, "Keep an eye out," into his ear.

She walked into the women's room, took a quick bathroom break, washed her hands, changed Saira, washed her hands again, then carried the baby and the bag out of the restroom. Casey stood, waiting for her, by a bench under a tree.

"See anything?" she whispered, sitting beside him. Casey shook his head and Allison lifted a thermos out of the diaper bag as Casey set a bottle of Pepsi on the bench next to her. Allison smiled her thanks at him.

"Get a bottle out and the powdered formula." She said, unbuckling Saira and cradling her. The baby fussed a little, but Allison gently bounced her, "Shhhh, sweetie. It's all right. Yes it is." she crooned to the little girl.

Casey took out the bottle and formula and Allison instructed him on how to mix the warm water from the thermos with the powder. As he shook the bottle to stir in the formula, Allison smirked. Casey glanced over at her.

"What?" he muttered, only half-hostile.

"I'll make a domestic out of you yet," Allison teased gently. Casey's growled a little and Allison put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a little shove. "Lighten up, Mr. NSA." Her voice was low but her eyes sparkled with laughter. Casey nodded curtly and stood, walking off in the direction of the men's room.

Allison put the bottle into Saira's mouth and she began sucking contentedly on it. Allison smiled and hummed a little to herself. The feel of the baby in her arms, the way those big brown eyes looked at her, it was all so familiar that she could almost picture…stop. She cut off her own train of thought. She was still on a mission and she still had to be on lookout. She fed the baby without any further daydreams.

Casey stepped into the men's room, all the while trying to force Allison from his mind. The way she teased him, gently and without fear, the way she had stood up to him in the car, those shorts she was wearing…it was all so overwhelming, and Casey immensely disliked being overwhelmed. It was almost like how he had felt about Ilsa; the same warm feeling in his chest, and the way she could treat him like a person. Not a secret agent or a killer, just an ordinary man. It was unnerving was what it was. He certainly _liked_ her, that much was certain, but how far did his feelings go? Washing his hands, Casey checked his reflection in the mirror. There was a smudge on his cheek, barely visible, where Allison had kissed him. He got some paper towels and rubbed it off. He was a government agent and he _would_ control his feelings.

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Chuck met Sarah for lunch at a burger place down the road from the Buy More. Konate was eating his kiddie chicken sandwich without problem, but seemed more interested in dipping his fries in the large variety of dipping sauces that he had on his tray. Chuck watched with amusement as the four-year-old tried each one, making faces of either delight or disgust as he ate. Sarah watched Chuck, affection painted clearly on her face. Chuck looked over at her and smiled.

"I've decided where to take him."

"Oh yeah?"

"Charley Cheese."

"The place with the talking rat, the playground, and the video games?" Sarah looked disgusted at the idea. "Chuck, anyone could scoop him up and walk out with him while you're there. You need to choose something populated, but not too crowded."

"I figured you'd say that, so I have a backup plan."

Sarah looked at him expectantly.

"The recyclable park."

"The what?" Sarah asked.

"It's this park made entirely of recycled stuff. It's really great. They used old tires, plastic bottles, old poles and timber, and recycled it all to make this really awesome park. The tunnel slide is made of this honeycomb pattern of plastic soda bottles, partially melted so the inside is really smooth. And it's supported by this giant metal dinosaur that was a movie prop. It's really awesome!"

"You're this excited about a playground?" Sarah asked, teasing.

"Don't diss the park, Sarah." Chuck retorted, mock-serious.

"No diss park." Konate echoed.

"Don't say that," Chuck corrected, "Say…um…porcupine."

Konate stared wonderingly at him, silent.

"Um…how would you like to go to the playground?"

Sarah translated it into French, and Konate's face lit up. "We go now?" he asked Chuck.

"Finish your fries first." Chuck said, and Konate began gobbling his food as fast as he could.

"Not too fast," Sarah said, "You'll make yourself sick."

She checked her watch and started. "I gotta go. I'll call you when I get off work." Giving Chuck a peck on the cheek, Sarah walked out.

Chuck and Konate walked out of the fast food place. Chuck looked down at the little boy holding his hand, realizing that he had neither a car nor a ride.

"Konate, have you ever ridden on a bus before?"

**Here we are! We're well on our way. Things seem to be going smoothly, but any of you who've ever been on a road trip or looked after a four-year-old know that things don't always go smoothly. Find out how Team Chuck handles mock-parenthood in the next chapter!!! Read and Review please!!!!!!**

**Lexie AKA gingerbritishgypsyelf**


	5. Night One

Night One

Chuck and Konate sat side by side on the bus. Konate bounced in his seat, peering out the window and frequently inquiring, 'Play now?' with increasing urgency. Several elderly women around them chuckled at Konate, smiling at him. Konate ignored them in favor of pointing at things out the window and saying them until Chuck repeated whatever he said. Konate and the old women were greatly amused by this game, and Chuck, though he found it amusing, wished that Sarah were there to share it with him. She wasn't exactly a kid person but Chuck liked having her around. As the bus pulled up in front of the recyclable park, Chuck laughed as Konate began shrieking,

"Park! Park! Park!"

Chuck lifted the little boy out of the bus seat and they hurried to the park, both equally excited about the slide.

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Allison was awake for most of the trip, humming along with the radio half the time, playfully flirting with Casey for the other half. The baby slept for a good bit of the trip, but woke up every couple of hours crying because she was hungry or had soiled her diaper. After the first couple of rest stops, Allison got frustrated and made Casey take a shift with the feeding and changing. He did this uncomfortably, but complied, since Allison promised to take the night shift.

The routine went on all day and around six they stopped for dinner. Allison was fine with the Chinese takeout Casey ordered and she carried it back to the hotel room where they were staying. Much to Casey's discomfort, Allison had gotten a room with one bed and a crib.

"It would have looked odd to get two beds for a couple with a baby." Allison argued, "People remember things like that."

Casey grunted and turned on the TV until he found a football game. Allison left to shower, telling him to mind the baby. Casey held the child carefully, and addressed her as he heard Allison turn on the water.

"See that? That's a good pass, but the Seahawks are going to intercept. It's because the quarterback didn't toss the ball to number thirty-seven. He was completely open and the past few games, he's ran six touchdowns. Quarterback's an idiot."

Saira couldn't understand the gruff speech that Casey was giving her, but she cooed happily and tried to grab his class ring, glimmering on one finger. Casey wiggled the ring about so it caught the light, muttering instructions to the runningback as the Seahawks intercepted yet another pass.

Allison enjoyed her shower immensely and she slipped out into the bedroom about fifteen minutes later, covered only in a towel, her hair already blown dry. Casey didn't seem to notice she had even entered the room. What Allison didn't know was that Casey was concentrating on the TV to avoid looking at her. He could smell her; the intoxicating perfume of her soap and body wash, the smell of tropical flowers and citrus fruits.

Slowly, Allison made her way across the room, moving in front of the TV to get her suitcase. Casey had to focus on keeping his breath even as she passed across his line of vision, but it hitched a little anyhow. Allison smiled as she pulled out something to sleep in, and she slipped off the towel and got dressed, not bothering to go back into the bathroom. Casey's teeth were clenched together, forcing himself to watch the game and not allow his eyes to wander over to Allison's side of the room. Once she was dressed, Allison scooped the baby from his arms.

"Shower's open." Allison said, and Casey grabbed something to change into as he rushed to the bathroom, not looking at Allison. As the bathroom door shut, Allison smiled down at Saira, "He's a silly man, isn't he?" she asked the baby. Saira gave a little sigh, and Allison placed her gently in the car seat as she opened one of the takeout boxed. General Tso's chicken peered out at her and Allison's stomach rumbled as she scooped up a piece with her chopsticks, chewed a moment, then found a package of hot sauce and squirted it onto her food. Much better. When Casey came out of the shower, Allison was also munching on mixed vegetables and the container of sticky rice.

She looked him up and down as he put his dirty clothes in a plastic grocery bag and slid it back into his suitcase. He was wearing a white t-shirt and patterned boxers. As he turned to get a Chinese food container, Casey caught a glimpse of what Allison was wearing. He did a double-take, then ducked his head to locate the Chinese food, half-angry, half-appreciative. For one thing, she was wearing a man's dress shirt, sleeves rolled up so her hands could reach through the arms. For another, she wasn't wearing anything else, other than her underwear.

"What?" Allison asked, innocent. "You can wear underwear and a shirt, but I can't? That's just sexist."

Casey's mind was drifting more towards sexy than sexist, but he said nothing, instead breaking open a container of beef and broccoli. As Allison finished off her chicken and picked up the sticky rice, Saira started fussing. Allison rocked the car seat with one foot, reaching her leg past Casey to accomplish this. Casey eyed her grouchily and continued silently eating his food. Saira's wails grew louder and with a sigh, Allison set down her rice and got off the bed, walked around the edge of it, then picked Saira up from her car seat. The baby continued her fussing as Allison prepped a bottle and checked it on one wrist.

"This is why I'm not a parent." She muttered to herself. She loved having a baby around, but she didn't like putting down her supper to take care of the tiny girl. She popped the bottle gently into the baby's mouth and sat on the bed next to Casey, eyeing the rice and the untouched container or mixed vegetables. Casey didn't say anything, merely opened the previously-unopened vegetable container and began eating. Allison glared, but didn't say anything.

Once the baby had eaten, been burped, and had been changed, Allison put her to bed, then trudged back over to the bed, where the empty Chinese food containers were stacked. Allison bit her tongue gently, reminding herself not to say anything. The top container was heavier than the rest and Allison frowned, opening it. Inside was the remainder of the rice and vegetables. Casey was watching the game still and Allison sat down next to him.

"Thanks."

Casey grunted in reply and Allison silently finished her dinner, then brushed her teeth. Casey slid past her into the bathroom as she padded out, and brushed his teeth as well. Allison turned off the TV as the announcer began commenting on the final score. She pulled back the covers and climbed into bed, sitting up against the pillows with the lamp on. Casey walked out into the room and eyed Allison.

"I'll take the floor." He growled.

"Casey," Allison protested, "Get on the bed."

There was a brief stare down, which neither person won.

"I'll keep my hands to myself." Allison said calmly, "I am capable of that."

Casey grunted, but climbed into the bed, lay down, and shut his eyes. Allison turned off the lamp, glanced at Casey warily, then went to sleep. It didn't last long. Two hours later, she awoke to Saira's shrieks.

"Walters," Casey grunted, "Baby."

"I can hear." Allison grouched, stumbling out of bed.

She fed and changed the baby, then rocked her until she was asleep once more. She crawled back into bed, and got a few more hours sleep before the cries woke her again. She was half-out of bed by the second cry, and she made her way over to the baby, trying to feed her, than changing her. The cries continued. Allison bounced and rocked the baby, begging her to go back to sleep. After a while, she resorted to singing. She softly sang the words of a Japanese lullaby, and Saira calmed down enough to sleep again. Allison was asleep almost before she climbed into bed. Not caring about what he would say in the morning, she pressed herself to Casey's back, relaxing at the contact. The baby slept through the rest of the night.

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Chuck's shoes were heavy with sand and his face was stretched into a delighted grin as Konate shrieked, "Slide! Slide!" for what may have been the thirtieth time. Chuck had lost count somewhere after seventeen. He followed the delighted boy up the stairs, through the tunnel, (made from recycled plastic and painted to look like the inside of a cave), up a rope climbing net, and onto the top platform, which was shaded by a fake-fern roof and plastic bamboo. It was originally a prop from a desert-island film. Chuck clambered into the slide and Konate wriggled past his shoulders to sit in his lap.

"Go go go!" Konate cried excitedly, and Chuck pushed himself forward, allowing the pair of them to fly down the tunnel slide. Chuck laughed at Konate clutched at his arms, screaming in delight all the while. As soon as his feet hit the sand, Konate spun around, shouting, "Again! Again!" Chuck obliged, and they headed back up the playground to the slide.

The afternoon died quickly and once Konate was exhausted and beginning to whine about being thirsty, Chuck scooped him up and called Sarah on his phone. As the little boy guzzled the water Chuck had bought at a vending machine, they sat on a swinging bench painted to look like a hammock. It took Sarah about ten minutes to show up, but when she got there, Konate waved at her and began telling her all about the slide in rapid-fire French.

Seeing as Ellie had invited them to dinner, Sarah took Konate back to her apartment and she and Chuck gave him a bath, as he splashed around and played with a rubber duck that Chuck had found in his pocket. Sarah had given Chuck a funny look when he pulled out the rubber duck, but Chuck had an explanation.

"I thought he's need something to do on the bus."

Sarah stared at him for a moment, then started laughing. Konate eyed her, then turned towards Chuck.

"What's funny?" he asked Chuck, completely serious. Chuck started to chuckle, but it built up into full-blown laughter as Konate examined him seriously. He was still smiling when Konate was dressed and riding in the car to Chuck's house in the SUV.

Ellie greeted them at the door, smiling as Konate looked up at her. He turned to Sarah and babbled something in French. Ellie smiled,

"Merci," she replied. Sarah smiled, surprised.

"You speak French, Ellie?"

"High school and college." Ellie replied easily.

"Well I didn't, so would someone clue me in?" Chuck asked, confused.

"He said she was pretty, like his mother."

"Oh."

They went inside, and Konate rushed into the living room. On the floor, Chuck recognized some of his old toys. Konate grabbed some blocks and began making a line of them, patiently lining them up side by side. Awesome was sprawled on the couch, watching a college football game and the smell of roasted meat wafted through the house like perfume.

"It smells delicious, Ellie. Thanks for inviting me." Sarah said.

"You're practically family, Sarah." Ellie replied with a warm smile. Sarah smiled back, but under the smile she felt a little uncomfortable. Ellie's sincerity was sweet, but at times she felt a pang of guilt for living this lie.

Dinner was delicious, as expected, and Konate did well until after dessert, when the crankiness that had slowly built up over the night erupted in a temper tantrum.

"Sorry about this, Ellie." Sarah apologized for the third time, as she carried a screaming Konate out to her car.

"No problem." Ellie replied. To Chuck, she handed a small bag. "Here's your toothbrush and some clean clothes. Go help Sarah out, okay?"

"Sure Ellie. Thanks for understanding." Giving his sister a quick peck on the cheek, he hurried after Sarah.

Konate fell asleep in the car on the way home and though Sarah had insisted she was a spy and could handle one four-year-old, Chuck stayed. Sarah didn't mind.

Working together, however clumsily, the pair dressed Konate in pajamas and lay him down into bed. Once he was settled and fast asleep once more, Sarah showered and changed into pajamas. Chuck followed suit and when he was finished, stood awkwardly by Sarah's bed.

"Um, Sarah? There's only one bed."

"Chuck, I'm a spy. I think I can share a bed with you."

Chuck shrugged and climbed, still awkwardly, into bed next to Sarah. Though both felt drawn to touch the other, there was a strict hands-off policy. They still had to get up the next morning and work together.

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When Casey woke up, the first thing he noticed was Allison's arms wrapped around his waist. He stiffened as she shifted in her sleep, pressing herself closer to his back. Her breath was warm and gentle on his neck and Casey knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that if he continued lying there with her body so close to him, he would not be able to keep his behavior professional. As it was, all he wanted to do was roll over and press his lips to her skin, to inhale her scent. It was only his mental discipline that made him slowly disentangle himself from her embrace and go to the bathroom to dress.

Allison awoke as soon as Casey got out of bed, but she shut her eyes anyway and went back to sleep. If nothing else, she wanted Casey to think that she had kept her word about the keeping her hands to herself bit. Unconscious, she wasn't responsible for her actions. So she slept about half an hour more before Saira's cries awoke her. As she sat up to get the baby, a large hand gently pushed her back onto the bed.

"I can handle this. Go back to sleep." Casey growled.

Allison complied, and once again dozed off.

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Chuck and Sarah woke up close together, but not in a compromising position as Konate jumped up and down on the bed, singing a song in French. They got up and as Chuck fixed Konate breakfast, Sarah planned out how the day would go. Sarah and Chuck both had the morning shift, so Chuck agreed to take Konate with him. Morgan had the mindset of a four-year-old…well, a perverted four-year –old, so he could play with the boy instead of ogling girls. Or maybe he would be safer with Big Mike, whom he could probably convince it was 'take your kid to work day'. Emmett would be suspicious, but if Chuck brought doughnuts, then he would wave Emmet's complaints aside.

"We need to stop at Doughnut Heaven on our way to Buy More." Chuck told Sarah. She gave him a mildly puzzled look, but agreed to make the stop. In short, Chuck's plan worked and the day started without a hitch.

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When Allison awoke the second time it was because Casey was shaking her awake. It was ten or so in the morning, and Casey looked like he was itching to be on the road. They grabbed some of the hotel's complimentary breakfast on the way out and hit the road. Casey was once again in a shirt and jeans and Allison was once again wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top. Once Casey started driving, Allison dozed off, still tired from taking the night shift.

They stopped at noon for lunch and to feed and change the baby. Casey did the changing while Allison ordered lunch. Allison fed the baby in the car and ate her lunch in the back seat.

"So why the Sig?" Allison asked casually. "I see it's custom, very nice, by the way, but why a Sig?"

Casey glanced at her in the rearview mirror, sizing up the situation. After a long pause, he began to speak, and slowly the conversation bloomed into a debate of the pros and cons of different guns. Allison defended her Norinco type 54 admirably, and once the baby was asleep, she climbed into the front seat and continued the debate.

The way she spoke, her expression, everything about her was just…stop. Casey cut off his thought process and focused on the debate. After the debate died, (though neither person really won), Casey turned on the radio and Allison smiled and sat silently. It was nice to be on even ground with Casey. Normally he was so shut-out of everything, as though he had a steel wall around himself, but now he seemed more real. Allison resisted the urge to reach out and touch him. Because she played the part of a hands-on and flirtatious girlfriend, she allowed herself to act on her emotions in public, but here in the car, where there were no witnesses, she had to contain herself. The irony made her smile, though it wasn't exactly a smile of amusement.

The baby was crying again and they stopped. Allison got a coffee and as they got back into the car it began to rain. It was four PM and Allison played with the baby as she looked up at Casey.

"We should stop around nine." Allison said and Casey nodded curtly. Five hours of silence didn't appeal to her so Allison resorted to napping, seeing as she would likely be up all hours of the night again.

________________________________________________________

Chuck and Sarah had an uneventful day. They worked until one in the afternoon and then spent the rest of the day at the beach. Konate didn't swim, but he, Chuck, and Sarah built a lumpy sandcastle that resembled abstract art more than anything else. Chuck spent the night at Sarah's again and they continued holding onto the self-control necessary for the job. That night, as Sarah slept beside him, Chuck pondered their relationship. The lines were growing more and more blurred. What was real? What was acting? And if this mission ever ended, would Sarah be the same person that she was now? Was her personality, her tastes, the things that made her Sarah, just part of an elaborate cover or was it truly her?

These questions troubled Chuck, but he brushed them aside, and wondered about Casey and Allison. Would they too change once the mission was over? Chuck couldn't imagine Allison any other way. She was so genuine, especially in her pursuit of Casey, which Chuck privately found amusing. Casey enjoyed tormenting him, but watching Allison do a similar thing to Casey felt a little like revenge. As all these things blurred together in his mind, Chuck fell asleep. He dreamed that he was running from a giant rubber duck that was pursuing him down the highway.

______________________________________________

They stopped for dinner, then drove on. Casey chose the hotel, a Weekday Inn, and as they stopped in the parking lot, Allison motioned for Casey to stay in the car. She climbed into the back of the van, in the unused third row of seats, and pulled out a travel bag. She carefully adjusted a hijab over her head (a scarf-like covering that Muslim women wear to cover their hair) and pulled a loose long-sleeve shirt over her spaghetti-strap top, then glanced at Casey, whom was watching her, expressionless.

"No peeking," Allison told him as she unzipped her shorts and took them off, pulling on a pair of jeans. Casey looked away as soon as he saw what she was doing, respecting her privacy. Also, to make sure no one was looking through the windshield, the only un-tinted window in the car. Allison crawled to the front of the car, grabbed her bag, and opened the door.

"Wait here," she said.

Casey stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

"If people come after, looking for us, they're expecting a couple with a baby. Not a woman wearing a hijab and a baby." She took Saira's car seat out of the van and with her bag over her shoulder, walked towards the lobby. Casey blew air out of his nose. This was going to be a long night.

**I know, I know. It's been forever. Please please don't shoot me! I've been busy, then uninspired, then more busy, then more uninspired, then unable to access a computer. Sorry! Hope you enjoyed this, and I KNOW it was more Callison than Charah, but I did the playground bit, didn't I? (Playground design is copyright me. However, anyone desiring to design said playground, or other similar ones may request permission.) Also, I don't really watch football, and the Seahawks were just a team that came to mind. I neither support nor diss the team. Reviews please! Reviews help keep me going through the stretches of writer's block!**

**Special thanks to my fantastic beta, Dots!**


	6. When Things DON'T Go According to Plan

When Things **Don't** go According to Plan

Allison checked in easily, paying with several crumpled twenties. The young man at the front desk offered to help her carry her things to her room, but Allison declined softly in an exotic accent and the man respected her wishes. She made her way to the room, got Saira settled, and then made a quick phone call to Casey.

"Go around to the back door and I'll let you in."

A single grunt was his reply, and Allison expected nothing more. With the baby cradled easily in one arm, she slid her room key into one pocket and went to open the door for Casey. He was waiting there already when she arrived, though she'd only hung up a minute ago. Pulling the door open for him, she treated him with a smile. He didn't return the smile, but rather grunted,

"They buy it?"

"Looked like it. My spidey senses are tingling though. Keep an eye out."

Casey grunted and they went back to the room. As Allison fixed Saira a bottle, Casey looked over at her.

"What'd you want to eat?"

Allison shrugged, "Anything's good for me. No room service or you don't get anything, but otherwise, fine. Actually, I'll go pick something up. I'll go out the back door and let myself back in with the key card."

Casey didn't appear to be thrilled with this idea, but Allison put Saira in his arms, and let him hold the bottle for her.

"Put on a game, and I'll be back in fifteen minutes." Sliding the keys from his front pocket, she planted a kiss on the baby's head and turned on the TV. Trotting down the back stairs, she barely resisted giving a long whoop of relief. Not being cooped up in a car or hotel room was sheer ecstasy. She was going to roll the windows down, let the wind blow through her hair, and enjoy her fifteen minutes of freedom. Spy she was, but she was also human. And everyone needed a little freedom now and again.

She pulled off the hijab, but the night air was cool so she left the long sleeved shirt on. The van started with a low purr and she flipped on the headlights, turned on the radio, and put it in gear.

* * *

Chuck woke up to Sarah's lips on his ear, whispering something. It wasn't an unpleasant way to wake up, and he opened his eyes, and then listened to what she was saying.

"…still asleep. How about you go out and get some pancakes or something and then we can eat when he wakes up?"

"Mmm?" Chuck mumbled in reply.

"I don't know how or why, but Konate is still asleep. Do you want to get some pancakes so when he wakes us we can all have breakfast?"

Chuck nodded, then looked to see if he could find some clean pants. He had gone to bed in PJs, and wasn't sure if the Waffle Hut of California would allow him to order if he wasn't wearing normal clothes. Then again, it was California. He slid on some shoes and grabbed his wallet and Sarah's keys.

"Be back in fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Thanks Chuck."

Chuck went downstairs, climbed into the car, and adjusted the mirrors. He hadn't driven a car since…Well he had his license but he hadn't driven in at least a year. He just didn't own a car. So with great hesitation, he started the car. It growled low and Chuck almost laughed at how much the sound resembled Casey. He drove fairly easily to the Waffle Hut of California and got some waffles, eggs, bacon, and juice. He got some coffee for Sarah and several packages of butter and syrup for the waffles. On his way back, he got a phone call from Sarah.

"Chuck?"

"Yeah?"

"I think Konate's sick. We need to get him to a doctor."

"What? How?"

"He just threw up all over the floor and he's burning up."

"Okay, I'm calling Ellie right now. I'll be there in five minutes."

Ellie sounded groggy when she picked up the phone and Chuck remembered that she had taken the midnight to 5-AM shift.

"Ell, I'm so sorry to wake you up, but Konate's sick. Can you come up to Sarah's please?"

"Yes. Chuck I'll be right there. Just hang on. What's wrong with him?"

"He just threw up and Sarah says he feels really hot."

"Okay. Get him some water and I'll be there as soon as I can."

Chuck called Sarah back and relayed the information. As soon as he got there, he found Konate in the bathtub, his face red and puffy from crying. He was sipping water from a cup and a pile of soiled pajamas sat on the rug next to him. Sarah was in the other room, cleaning vomit off of the carpet and looking fairly sick herself.

"Ellie'll be here in a minute. What can I do?"

"Go sit with Konate. I'll finish cleaning this up." She looked positively green and Chuck noted that Sarah didn't do well with barf. Another real thing about her to add to his list.

* * *

Allison picked up barbecue and fries from a local place and called Casey as she was parking.

"I'll up in about two minutes, okay?"

Casey grunted a response and Allison chuckled, hung up the phone, and got out of the car, locking it as she did. As she walked across the parking lot, something felt wrong. She flipped open her phone and dialed Casey's number again, then clipped it to her belt, rested one hand loosely on her concealed weapon. She casually looked around the parking lot and saw the gleam of a gun barrel in the window of a car. Drawing her Norinco, she dove and rolled behind a car as the first shot was fired. Very little sound so it was silenced. Allison peeked out from behind the car and pulled a silencer out from her holster. It never killed anyone to be prepared. Screwing it on, she leaned over and fired several shots, then pulled the phone off of her belt.

"We've got company. Armed company."

"Yeah. I heard."

"Get the baby. You have some sort of escape plan?"

"Yeah. Shoot them."

"Very helpful." Allison fired a few more shots and the gunfire stopped. She peeked out suspiciously, trying to figure out if she had hit them, or if they were playing dead. She slid off the long sleeved shirt she was wearing over the spaghetti strap top and tossed it out to one side of the car. It was immediately riddled with bullet holes. She dragged it back in by one sleeve, examining the bullet holes. Hollow-points, judging by the holes, and the shells.

"You got it under control?"

"Yeah." A lucky shot skimmed under the car, skimming her thigh. She hissed several Japanese swear words, then a handful in English.

"You hit?"

"Flesh wound. Just skimmed me." She gave another hiss of pain and swore again as the examined it. In a pained, slightly sarcastic tone she asked, "Oh yeah, did you want mild or spicy wings?"

Casey made a noise that would have been a snort of laughter from anyone else. Allison smiled.

"I'll be up in…oh I'll call you. If I don't call back in half an hour, call in reinforcements."

"Walters—" Casey began, but Allison hung up, slid her phone into her pocket, and then pulled out another clip from her bag. Three bullets in her clip right now. Two extra clips in her bag. Darting out from behind her car, she took one good shot and took out the gunman, but there was more than likely someone else to deal with. She crept around the car, and darted up behind another car, and moved from car to car, taking cover. The shooter's car was still. Four doors. No tinted windows. White. This was meant to look like an amateur, but this wasn't. She crawled up to the car, then popped up, gun drawn. It was empty, but for a body. Red lights flickered on a box on the back seat.

_Bomb._

Allison began to run as fast as she could towards the car. She started it and pulled around to the back of the hotel at a reckless speed. She dialed Casey's number.

"The car was—" and then the bomb exploded. "Get the baby. I'm coming up. We have to go now."

"Got it."

Allison rushed inside, swiping her room key at the back door. She rushed upstairs and buckled Saira into her car seat, grabbed a bag, and tossed the key card on the bed. Casey had the other bag. He scanned the room quickly, insuring they had left nothing behind, snatched Saira's bottle from the bed, and tossed his card on the bed as well. They rushed down the stairwell and out the door. Bags were tossed into the back, Saira was buckled in, and police sirens blared as they drove onto the highway and on into the night.

* * *

Ellie was at Sarah's apartment within ten minutes. Chuck was trying to coax liquids into Konate, who was sobbing for his mama and kept spitting out nastily colored saliva. Sarah has managed to get most of the vomit off the carpet and was looking both ill and worried.

Ellie was like a miracle. She somehow managed to get Konate to rinse out his mouth, then got him to sip a sports drink. She also got him dressed, snuggled up nicely in a makeshift bed on Sarah's sofa, and the rest of the carpet cleaned up. Then she drank Sarah's coffee and had some waffles.

"You're super-sister," Chuck told her, a little in awe. "Awesome should give you his title."

"Thanks so much, Ellie. I couldn't have done this without you," Sarah gushed. She looked flustered and kept glancing over at Konate, who was watching cartoons and sipping his drink.

"Listen I don't have another shift today. But it just looks like a 24-hour bug. He probably caught it from someone on the street, a cough or sneeze is all it would take. Keep him on the BRAT diet and give him water or watery fruit juice. No milk, no orange juice."

"BRAT diet?"

"Banana, rice, applesauce, toast. Four foods he can eat. Your generic plain cracker will do all right as well. If he needs to throw up, get him a bucket or a plastic trash can, or if he's near the bathroom, the toilet. He'll probably be hot, then cold all through today. Cool washcloth on his head when he's hot and you can wipe off his face and neck. When he's cold, just get him blankets. Have him nap a little after one and just keep him happy. If you need anything, just call okay?"

Sarah nodded tersely. Chuck had the morning shift again, but Sarah was looking so desperate, that he called in sick and after assuring Big Mike that his sister said it was only a 24-hour bug, he returned to Sarah. She was badly concealing her gratefulness, which Chuck ignored. He knew if he pointed it out, it would make her feel either uncomfortable of defensive.

They spent the afternoon taking care of Konate. He threw up twice more, but in a bucket. During his nap, Chuck and Sarah just lay on her bed, within earshot of Konate, and played "Marry, Screw, Cliff," and "Would you rather?" for two hours.

"Okay, I got another one. Princess Leia, Troi from The Next Generation, or Starbuck from the new Battlestar Galactica?"

"Hmmm. I can't believe I never compared these three. And all of them have romantic pairs on the shows. How can I possibly marry any of them knowing I'm cheating their mates out of a lifetime relationship?"

"Chuck, it's hypothetical."

"Well hypothetically, I'd be breaking _someone's_ heart."

"Chuck, come on."

"All right, all right. Marry Leia, screw Troi, cliff Starbuck. You…Han Solo, Will Riker, or Apollo?"

"Who's Apollo again?"

"When this is over, you're watching a Battlestar Galactica marathon with me. Apollo is the brunette. Son of the old guy who's a captain. Played by Jamie Bamber."

"Okay…I'll marry Riker, screw Apollo, cliff Solo."

"He will be missed. Eating three spiders or cleaning up barf three times?"

"Spiders."

"Wow. You're pretty hardcore."

"Chuck, I'm a spy. They don't exactly select pansies for this job. Okay, never watch Star Wars again or be forced to spend a year only associating with Jeff and Lester."

"I'm thinking suicide might be better than making me choose."

"Come on, Chuck. Which one?" Sarah teased.

"Jeff and Lester. My loyalty to Star Wars is too great to sacrifice it…then again; they do have books…okay no Star Wars. But only if I can read the books."

Sarah laughed and Chuck gave her a sort of half-smile.

"Okay, I got one for you, spy girl. Having to take on twelve ninjas while totally unarmed, or be a pole dancer exclusively for Jeff and Lester."

"Ninjas. Ninjas one hundred percent."

* * *

They drove on for an hour, and then Allison told Casey to take an exit. She pulled out her phone.

"Jack? You still owe me a favor." There was a sort of muttering on the other end.

"No way. I saved you in three different cities. I need a car." More muttering followed.

"Van. Tinted windows. Storage for weapons in the back. And I need you to get the car I'm in back to the NSA."

A soft but definite, "To the NSA? Those idiots?" was clearly audible through the phone.

"Yes. I'm working with one of their people right now. I'm ten miles out from you."

"Ten miles?" was practically shouted through the phone.

"Yes. I know you have it, so don't act like you don't. I'll be there shortly. And if you're not, you know the sort of trouble I can make for you. Easy. The Stairmen don't like you as it is. Would you like to make it worse?"

There was a pause.

"Yes. And coffee if you please. Goodbye." She snapped the phone shut, then smiled at Casey, looking very much like the cat whom had caught the canary.

"Friend of yours?"

"Business associate." Allison climbed from the passenger seat and made her way to the back of the van. From the floor storage compartments, she pulled out two Kevlar vests and pulled one on, adjusting the straps. She climbed back up to the front of the car.

"Pull over."

Casey raised an eyebrow, but obeyed. Allison handed him the vest, then climbed back into the back. She pulled out a suitcase. Inside it was a mess of harnesses and rigging. She lifted Saira's car seat from the seat and placed it in the suitcase, easily buckling and tightening and knotting all the straps. The baby didn't stir, used to the constant motion. Allison zipped up the suitcase.

"What are you doing?"

"It's bulletproof, has excellent ventilation, and muffles nearly all sound. I don't want my associate knowing what our mission is. My company has a few agents with questionable morals. This man is one of them."

"And we're getting a car from him?"

"He's reliable and he owes me. Not to mention I have a device in my bag that will short out any trackers, listening devices, or any other tech he puts on the car. It'll be an older model with little computer software in it."

Casey put on his vest, then slid a jacket over it. Allison pulled on a coat, nodded to Casey, and he drove.

They pulled up in front of an auto repair shop with two of the letters in the sign out. It's red, flickering sign said, 'open' and the whole place was covered in a thin layer of California dust.

"Stay in the car," Allison said and she hopped out. Sticking two fingers in her mouth, she let out a sharp, piercing whistle.

"Jack! Get out here!"

A tall man build like a wrestler stalked out of the front door.

"Allison?"

"No, I'm the CIA here to arrest you. Who do you think it is you great lump?"

Jack chuckled low in his throat and waved one arm.

"Come on. I'll show you your new ride."

Allison followed him to a very plain-looking van. It had several rows of seats and was painted a flaky beige. Windows with cheap curtains lines the sides.

"Product of the sixties?"

"You should have seen the paint on this thing when I bought it."

"How many does it seat?"

"Lemme see. Driver, passenger, then three rows with three seats each. That'd be…eleven."

"Help me take out the two back rows. I only need the one for a nap couch."

"Storage is hidden under the last two rows."

"I'll cover it with the carpeting you've got in the shed."

"I sold that, some three years ago."

"Liar. Now help me get these seats out."

They took out the seats, and Jack fetched the roll of carpeting from the shed. Allison got Jack to go get coffee while she and Casey loaded the van. Saira's 'suitcase' was placed in behind the driver's seat. Two suitcases were tossed onto the expanse of back covered by brown shag carpeting. Jack was back around when they were putting the carpet back on.

He handed them each a Styrofoam cup of coffee and nodded at Allison.

"We good?"

"We'll see."

Jack snorted. "I'll get the idiots back their van."

"Leave it in the parking lot of the Easy-Stop at the next exit. They'll pick it up."

"Sure."

Allison nodded at him and climbed into the van. Casey did the same, started the van, and then drove back for the highway. As soon as they were out of sight, Allison pulled a device resembling a remote control from her pocket. She swept the entire van.

"Clean. I expected something…" She was about to turn off the device when it blipped next to her coffee cup. "Not even coffee is sacred anymore." She took her cup and Casey's and tossed them out the window.

"Walters, there are laws—"

"Which I gladly follow when someone's life is _not_ in danger." She unzipped Saira's 'suitcase' and buckled the baby's car seat into the row of seats behind them.

"You still got the barbecue?"

"Yeah, right here." Allison turned to fetch the now-lukewarm wings and fries and hissed in pain. Her wound from earlier was on fire as the adrenaline rush faded. It was bleeding too.

"Aw great."

"What?" Casey saw the foot-long line of blood-soaked fabric along her left pant leg.

"I'll get the first aid kit from my bag."

**I KNOW it's been forever and a day, but I've been really busy. Trying to get into college is hard work. Plus school, work, and family stuff. So don't hate me please. And review me!!! I loves me some reviews! Thanks to dots, as usual, and yay for the new season of Chuck!**


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